Scarred Reaper
by TheAnimeFanbase
Summary: When Edward disappears Mustang’s team is at a loss. After months of searching Alphonse is losing hope of ever finding his brother. What's worse with the disappearance of the Fullmetal Alchemists a new foe arises. He is known as The Reaper.
1. Chapter 1 - The Introduction

**Synopsis - When Edward disappears Mustang's team is at a loss. After months of searching Alphonse is losing hope of ever finding his brother. What's worse with the disappearance of the Fullmetal Alchemists a new foe arises. He is known as The Reaper.**

 **Rated M for violence, gore, and some language.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. (Not that I would want to the series is perfect how it is)**

 **A bit of background. This is an AU where the homunculi were defeated a year before promised day. Ed still has both of his automail limbs and Al was able to get his body back with the philosopher's stone.**

"The Fullmetal Alchemist has been missing for five months now, his case has been handed over to the investigation department," The Fuhrer stated simply.

"Please fuhrer just give me some more time, we have some solid leads, I'm sure we

cou-" Mustang started.

"I'm sorry Mustang you'll have to hand your leads over to investigations you have other duties to attend to." Sighed fuhrer Grumman.

"Yes Sir," Mustang replied reluctantly and left the Fuhrer's office.

Mustang trudged down the hallway downcast. All of their work and searching over the last five months was gone, and they were no closer to finding Edward. _Where are you Fullmetal?_ He thought.

Edward had disappeared on a mission five months earlier. It was a simple mission; investigating some missing equipment so Ed had gone in alone. Some leads had suggested the equipment was being stored in an old warehouse. Edward had gone in to investigate and never returned.

When Edward didn't return Mustang and his team went in to investigate. Besides a few scratch marks and drops of blood here and there, there weren't many signs of a fight, at least not a Fullmetal fight. All they had found of Edward, were some scraps of red cloth and part of the chain of his pocket watch.

After that things got a little chaotic. News of the Fullmetal alchemist's disappearance spread quickly. The people were, panicked, unsettled, and angry that their hero was missing.

Al had freaked out and gone searching for him frantically, canceling his trip to Xing. Mustang's team had tried to get him to calm down. Alphonse was uncooperative the first few days, insisting that he had to find his brother immediately. It didn't take long for him to realize his frantic searching wasn't very effective. After calming down he went to Mustang's team for help. They agreed to let him help with their search for Edward.

Winry was worried sick. Knowing Edward he had probably gotten into some kind of serious trouble. She couldn't stand to think about what could've happened to him, she loved him after all.

Mustang and his team promised Al they would do everything they could to find his brother. Al would always quick to help whenever he could. They had gotten quite a few leads and had felt closer than ever to finding him, but now when they seemed so close it seemed all of that work may have been for nothing.

He reached his office without realizing it. He sighed before opening the door, knowing he would have to break the news to his team.

When he walked in all business in the office ceased. Hawkeye, Havoc, Fuery, and Breda all looked up at him.

After a moment Havoc spoke, "What'd he say boss?" They all new Mustang had been called to the Fuhrer's office. They had also guessed what it was probably about.

Mustang cleared his throat, "Edward's case has been handed over to investigations." He announced. Downcast looks immediately filled the room. They knew the investigation would probably get handed over eventually, but they had been hoping they'd be able to find him before it happened. Investigations was good, but they didn't know Edward like Mustang's team did. They didn't understand the way he thought and acted.

"Well, what now boss?" Asked Havoc.

"There's not much we can do," sighed Mustang, "If investigations is taking over we'll lose all new information and leads. Not to mention the Fuhrer is probably gonna be keeping a close eye on me now."

"We can't just give up, and we promised Al we'd do, everything we could to find his brother." Said Furey

"I never said we were giving up," Mustang replied, "things are just going to be a lot more difficult now."

Meanwhile

"This is starting to get tiring boy." Said a man with a gruff voice. He had sharp features and a stern expression. He had grey hair, cut military style, and a few hairs sticking out from his chin. "If you don't start talking we're going to have to start using some, new methods."

The boy in question, who was currently strapped to a chair and covered in blood, let out a grunt of distaste causing him to cough up blood.

"Well then if that's how you wanna play." The man took out a long thin knife, "We can do this your way Mr. Fullmetal Alchemist."

 **A/N I know this is a bit short it's more of an introduction so the other chapters will be much longer. Thanks for reading please review, I'm open to constructive criticism so feel free to give suggestions**


	2. Chapter 2 - The Mission

**Katurdi, Thank you for the review. Thanks for pointing that out run on sentences have always been a big problem for me I'll make sure to work on it. As for the descriptions that's mostly because I didn't have the first few chapters planned out very well. Hopefully that will improve as time goes on. Again, Thank you for the review I'm always trying to better my writing for both my readers and I. Your advice is greatly appreciated.**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

"Ugh!" Cried Alphonse, "Damn it brother why do you have to be so hard to find." He tried to calm down. He knew it wasn't really his brother's fault it was so hard to find him.Even if he was quite reckless sometimes.He didn't mean to get mad at his brother. He was just getting very frustrated lately. It had been five months since his brother went missing and it seemed his search was moving at a snail's pace. He had been searching non stop and the exhaustion was starting to get to him.

Since he had only gotten his body back half a year ago it was still fatigued and malnourished. He had finished his rehabilitation, but he still wasn't at one hundred percent. Though this may have been somewhat of a good thing because if he had, he would have gone straight to looking for his brother instead of being patient and helping out Mustang's team. If that had been the case he would of missed many key details in the search and may have gotten in trouble himself. Another thing he had realised during the last few months- his human body needed food and rest he couldn't stay up all night like before and couldn't go too long between meals either, especially if he was going to get his strength back.

Alphonse was currently looking over some old leads. Closely examining everything and looking for anything he may have missed. It seemed he was out of luck; however, as he was not able to find a single thing. In fact it seemed like he was even farther away then before.

Maybe it was just the lack of sleep. It was late and he was exhausted. As much as he hated to, he decided it was probably best to get some rest. He'd be more alert that way too. Despite his best efforts he was unable to bring himself to his bed so he settled with pushing aside his books and laying his head on the desk. He was asleep in seconds

Knock knock. "He's not answering." Mustang turned to Riza who just lowered her head and sighed.

"Alphonse you in there?" He knocked again but there was no response. "I'm coming in then."

Mustang and Riza entered the dorm room only to find Al passed out on his desk.

"Again?" Riza sighed, "That's the fifth time this month."

"I guess it can't be helped he won't rest until he finds Edward. That's just how the brothers are."

Al had been staying in Edward's Military dorm after he had finished his rehabilitation. Since his brother was still technically in the military he was allowed, but with the Fullmetal Alchemist missing it was unclear how long that would last.

Mustang had decided to help look after Al since he knew that's what Edward would have wanted. He had made sure to keep him updated on the investigation and Al was more than willing to help in any way possible. Anything to get his brother found. Mustang hated to have to tell him that the investigation was out of their hands now.

Mustang walked over to the desk where Al was laying and shook the boy on the shoulder.

"Al wake up." The boy just groaned not bothering to get up.

"Come on Alphonse," Mustang chided, "You can't sleep all day. Besides we have some new information on your brother."

With this statement Al immediately shot up from his desk, alert and ready.

"Get ready and come to my office, we have a lot to discuss." With that Mustang turned to leave, with Riza following suit.

Al got ready in record speed changing clothes and combing his hair in less than five minutes. Then he was out the door and headings strait to Mustangs's office.

When he arrived the rest if the team was talking quietly waiting for him to arrive.

"Ah there you are Alphonse," Said Mustang, "We were just about to begin the meeting."

They closed the blinds and locked the door to make sure no one would be spying in on their conversation.

Then, the crew gathered around the table Mustang standing at the head with Riza to his right and Havoc to his left. Falman and Breda were further down on the right, and Fuery and Al were further down the left.

"Okay let's get straight to business," Mustang said, "We have some good news and bad news concerning Edward's disappearance."

Al stiffened. What kind of bad news? Was his brother hurt or worse? Fortunately Mustang answered his questions with his next statement.

"The bad news is that Edward's investigation has been handed over to the Investigations Department. This means we will have limited access to new information concerning Edward. It also means we will have to continue our search in secret."

Al let out a sigh of relief at least it wasn't as bad as he had thought. However this would make the search for his brother much more difficult and complicated. Considering they were already at a loss and the search hadn't been getting anywhere lately… No. Al shook that thought from his head. He couldn't start thinking that way now. He had to stay positive and keep searching no matter what.

"The good news is we have some leads that may help us find Edward."

Al perked up.

"There have been sightings of some suspicious looking men entering and leaving the warehouse where Edward disappeared. We believe they may have some kind of connection to Edward's disappearance. The men have also been said to mostly enter and leave during evening and night."

The group took a second to process the information.

"So you're saying these men might know where my brother is?" So asked hopefully.

"We don't know for sure yet," Riza replied, "But if they do have some kind of connection to the people responsible for Edward's disappearance it's possible. If not that they could at least lead us to someone who does."

Hope filled Al's mind. It was possible -even if it was a slim chance- that these people could lead him to his brother. He managed to remain calm though and listen to what else Mustang had to say.

"The plan is to steak out the area and find out more about these people. Hawkeye you'll be on overwatch. Havoc and Breda will be with me on the ground. Falman I want you patrolling the area; make sure there's no outside interference. Fuery you'll be handling communications back at base. Alphonse I don't want you out on field just yet, you'll stay with Fuery."

"Yes sir," the soldiers replied.

Alphonse obliged reluctantly. He wanted to be out there finding his brother. Though deep down he knew he wouldn't be much help out there anyway. He still wasn't at full strength and would probably just drag the rest of the team down.

"Meet here at 5:00 pm. sharp tomorrow." Mustang said.

With that they opened the blinds, unlocked, the door and the team went back to their routine. Al went back to his dorm to prepare himself. Even though he'd just be helping Fuery on communications he wanted to be ready. They hadn't had a lead like this in months and couldn't afford to mess it up.

After he was done preparing he decided to get some breakfast. He hasn't eaten all morning and his stomach was growling. He was still getting used to his eating schedule. He was still having trouble knowing when to eat Being trapped in a suit of armour for years without eating will do that to you.

I'm the mess hall he ran into Havoc. He sat down next to him at the table. His thoughts were still racing a thousand miles per minute.

"Hey kid," Havoc said placing a hand on Alphonse's shoulder, "Don't get to worked up about tomorrow, remember the whole team is with you. Don't forget we are going to to whatever it takes to find your brother. So don't worry to much about it. The team knows what they're doing, so trust us."

"Oh, uh, yeah thanks Havoc, I've just been kind of worried. What if something goes wrong, or this turns out to be a false lea-"

"Then we'll keep searching," Havoc cut him off sternly, "We will keep looking until we find him."

It was evening now and Al recalled his conversation with Havoc earlier. He was right. He shouldn't worry too much. The team was experienced, they knew what they were doing. He knew everyone would keep searching until they found him. He decided to go to bed early. He wanted to be well rested for tomorrow.

 **A/N Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! I hope you're all having a fantastic weekend. That chapter took a little while because grades were due last week and there was a lot I had to get done. I should be updating more frequently now though. Hopefully I'll be able to set up an update schedule soon. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Sadistic Bastard

**Guest, Thank you for your review it is greatly appreciated. As for your question I do plan on making this Edwin I won't say how much just yet though.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and be glad I don't because I'd probably torture the characters to no end mewhehehe**.

 **Now on to the chapter!**

Two Weeks Earlier

Edward shifted under the gaze of his captor. He had been in this place for three excruciating months. He concluded that he had been gone for longer. About two months he had figured out. He had tried time and time again to remember them, but to no avail.

He didn't remember much of his capture. All he knew was he was investigating some missing equipment in an old warehouse. He had found some of it and was about to report back when he was ambushed. His attackers were fast, even faster than Scar.

He had only a few seconds to make out four or five figures in black suits, before they were on him. They had no weapons, at least from what he could tell. They were all tall and skinny, except for one who was quite muscular.

Not only were they fast, but they were strong too. One had missed a punch at him and his fist went straight through a concrete block. The final thing he noticed were their abnormally long fingers and legs. After having gone over the scene hundreds of times in his head he concluded that they had an extra joint in their fingers.

He only lasted about two minutes before he was knocked out by one of the attackers. It happened so fast. He was holding off two of them, when another came up behind him. He turned a second too late, and the blow to his head was the last thing he felt before blacking out.

Now he was here, in what he guessed was some kind of secret base for these guys. He was strapped to a wooden chair in the center of the large room. Next to him was a table covered in all sorts of torture mechanisms. There were knifes of all sizes, a spiked mace, and a heated metal rod to name a few.

He had no idea what these people wanted. They had asked all kinds of questions. They demanded military information, most of which he didn't have. They wanted information on alchemy, the philosopher's stone, and human transmutation. However the thing that disturbed him was the questions about the homunculi. He had no idea how they even knew of them. They were known about by very few and had been defeated over a year ago. Were these guys connected to them somehow?

Of course though, Edward being Edward had refused to tell them anything. Not really to protect military secrets or anything like that, but out of spite and lack of knowledge.

In those months they had done everything they could to get information out of him. They tried every kind of torture they could think of. They stabbed him, burned him, electrocuted him, starved him, and even poured acid on him. They still hadn't managed to get anything useful out of him though.

As of now he was strapped to a wooden chair where he had spent his torture sessions. Before him stood the man who had been responsible for most of his torment. He was tall and dark skinned. He had a neatly cut grey beard, bushy eyebrows, and a bald head.

Edward didn't know the man's name so he referred to him in his head as 'Sadistic Bastard' which seemed quite fitting considering this guy almost seemed to enjoy torturing the young alchemist.

Today the man seemed to be quite frustrated with Edward. This of course was good news to the Fullmetal Alchemist. It meant he was doing something right. He would have smirked, but his jaw was burning from the pain of being bashed in the face multiple times.

"Ya know kid," sighed the 'Sadistic Bastard,' "You're really starting to annoy me." He picked up a knife of the table text to him. "And I've gotta say," He continued, "I commend you for that, because not many people are able to annoy me the way you have."

Edward would have relished this fact if only he didn't know would happen next. 'Sadistic Bastard' always found a way to make his life even more of a living hell. Whenever he thought it couldn't get any worse he managed to make it worse. So while he was glad he was able to annoy him so much, he also knew that the bastard would pay him back for it tenfold.

Edward was jerked out of his thoughts when he felt a sudden, sharp, intense pain in his shoulder.

"Agh!" He let out. He looked over to see the knife shoved up to the hilt in his shoulder.

"Now tell me Mr. Fullmetal," said 'Sadistic Bastard' in an icy tone, "What happened to the homunculi?"

"I told you," Edward coughed out, "They're all dead I don't see why it matters to y-"

He was cut short by another knife being stabbed in him. This time in his abdomen.

"Don't lie to me! I know he's out there!"

Once again Edward had no idea what the man was talking about, but he chose not to say anything this time. His captor seemed to grow impatient, gritting his teeth and furrowing his brows. He reached for the metal rod on the table and flicked a switch on it which caused it to heat up.

Edward closed his eyes and gritted his teeth preparing for the inevitable pain that was to come. Suddenly he felt an immense pain move across his chest.

He screamed him pain as the burning metal melted his flesh. He cracked open one of his eyes to see the bastard leaning over him with an irritated look on his face.

"Now!" 'Sadistic Bastard' announced. "I'll repeat this one more time. What happened to the homunculi?"

"D- Dead," he managed to get out. "But even if they were alive I wouldn't tell the likes of- Ahg!"

'Sadistic Bastard' cut him off by hitting across the face with the heated piece of metal.

"Gah! It's always 'I don't know' or 'I'd never tell you' with you. Do you how annoying that gets after three months?" He said while scratching his arm. (1)

Instead of responding Edward was focused on trying. to distract himself from the pain. It was all he could do at this point.

The questioning and torture went on for quite a while after that as it usually did. Though something was slightly different this time that caught Edward's attention. 'Sadistic Bastard' seemed on edge lately, he seemed desperate to get answers Ed didn't have.

Edward made sure to keep note of this. If he was this impatient it meant he might let his guard down. If that bastard slipped up it could leave Edward a window of opportunity. It could be the key to his escape.

Eleven Days Later

The Fullmetal Alchemist sat tired, battered, and bleeding once again in the chair he'd grown to despise. Before him stood 'Sadistic Bastard' gritting his teeth in annoyance. He had his armed crossed and was tapping his fingers on his arm. It seemed he had finally snapped

"This is starting to get tiring boy." He said with a gruff voice, half of his face was concealed in the shadows of the dimly lit room. "If you don't start talking we're going to have to start using some, new methods."

Being too exhausted to do much else, he let out a grunt of distaste. This however didn't work out too well for him as it caused him to cough up blood.

"Well then if that's how you wanna play." The man took out a long thin knife, "We can do this your way Mr. Fullmetal Alchemist."

 **A/N: Happy 4th of July everyone! Okay so first of all I'm incredibly sorry about how long this chapter has taken. I just got major writer's block and struggled to write something I was happy with. After rewriting it several times I decided to post this version, though I'm still not incredibly happy with it. I guess I'm just making excuses now, but… Other than that I hope you enjoyed the chapter and enjoy your 4th of July!**

 **(1) I really like the idea of "crazy" people scratching themselves when they are irritated probably thanks to Shigaraki from mha and Takaoka from aclass.**


	4. Chapter 4 - The Steakout

**Disclaimer - I do not own fullmetal alchemist. I'd probably ruin it if I did so i guess that's a good thing.**

 ** _Present time_**

 ** _Alphonse and Fuery_**

Alphonse twitched nervously as he waited for the team to get into their positions. He was currently sitting next to Fuery who was setting up the radio for communication. He said he had to make sure everyone was on the same station so there wouldn't be any mix-ups. He also had to make sure no one was listening in on their conversations.

"Okay, all finished," Fuery exclaimed, "We should be hearing a response any minute now."

Alphonse gave a nod of understanding. This was it, this mission could give them the information needed to find his brother. Suddenly the radio started giving some static. Fuery fiddled with the knobs and dials until they could get a clear signal.

Mustang's voice rang out, "Approaching the target site. Is everyone in position?"

"In position, I have eyes on the target," Hawkeye replied.

"In position. Perimeter secure." Falman added.

"Fuery how's communication?" Mustang asked.

"Lines are secure. We're ready over here" Fuery replied.

"Okay then," Mustang said, "Remain on standby until further notice."

Alphonse was visibly shaking at this point. His mind started racing and he was beginning to think of all the worst possible outcomes. What if something went wrong? What if these weren't the right people? What if the team was the discovered? What if this whole operation turned out to be a bust a and didn't get them any closer to finding Edward? He tried to remember Havoc's words from yesterday, but his mind wouldn't deter from the negative thoughts.

Fuery noticed Al's unsettledness. He muted his mic and turned to face Alphonse. "Listen, Alphonse," he started, "I know you are nervous, but you have to be strong right now. That's what Edward would want right?"

Alphonse stared at Fuery for a few seconds, before nodding. "Right!" He said.

He had to remember, the team knew what they were doing. They were experienced. He knew they were worried about Edward as well and wouldn't stop until they found him. He had to trust them as they had trusted him. He also knew his brother wouldn't want him to be a scared, broken down mess. He would want him to be strong and keep moving forward.

Fuery nodded back before turning to the radio. He turned his mic back on.

"Targets approaching," Hawkeye announced.

"Okay then," Mustang said, "Operation start."

 ** _Mustang, Havoc, and Breda_**

Mustang, Havoc, and Breda were currently hiding in some brush several yards from the entrance of the warehouse. Nearing the entrance to the warehouse were several tall men in black suits. Something was very off about them. They were barely distinguishable from each other. They all had similar facial features, the same skin tone, and identical haircuts. Every one of them had their hands shoved so deep in their pockets that they had to hunch over. Mustang silently counted them and determined that there were six in total.

The team was silent as the watched the men approach the warehouse entrance. Suddenly, Breda shifted causing a twig to snap. The three soldiers cringed at the sound and held their breaths, but it seemed the suited men failed to notice it. The team continued to watch as the strange men entered the warehouse single file. Once the group was sure the men were out of hearing distance Mustang decided to radio Hawkeye.

 ** _Hawkeye_**

Hawkeye watched the scene play out through the scope of her rifle. She was laying flat on a rooftop, a good distance from the warehouse. She lost sight of the men for a second as they entered the warehouse. As she was searching for a visual she heard a transmission from Mustang.

"Hawkeye do you have a visual on the targets?"

"Not quite, sir, they seem to be avoiding windows and doors." She replied. Whoever these people were, they were very cautious. She continued to scan any openings in the warehouse for any visuals on the targets. As she was searching, she caught a glimpse of movement in a window near the entrance. She quickly directed her scope to the window. One by one the strange men came into view. The window wasn't particularly large, so she was only able to see their faces, but that was enough for her. Once all six of the men came into view, she radioed Mustang.

"I have all of the targets in sight. They are all located near the entrance."

"Good. We'll begin advancing." Mustang replied.

 ** _Mustang, Havoc, and Breda_**

As soon as they got the transmission, they knew it was time to advance. They needed to know more about these people. So their best option was to eavesdrop on them. This was an incredibly dangerous move. They had almost zero info on these people and getting caught could mean big trouble.

Mustang began to move slowly toward another brush area closer to the warehouse. He motioned for his men to follow. After a few minutes, they were up against the side of the warehouse, as close as they dared to get.

They listened to the sounds in the warehouse. They heard muffled voices all throughout it.

Suddenly, a loud sound echoed throughout the building, it sounded like several things dropping.

"You idiot!" A voice rang out. "We can't afford any more mishaps. We need to get the rest of these supplies out as soon as possible. It seems like the military might be catching on to us."

"What do you expect us to do, when we're only allowed to move at night and can't even use our full strength?" Another replied.

"The boss is getting frustrated. He isn't getting anywhere with the boy, it's taking months to move these damn supplies, and now he fears the military might be catching onto us! You know he'll have our heads if we mess this up!" The first voice yelled again.

"Shhhhh!" A third voice hissed. " We just need to keep quiet and get this done before sunrise."

There were several mumbles of reluctant agreement and they seemed to continue what they were doing.

The three soldiers gaped in shock at the information they had just discovered. They had found out these men had a boss, a seemingly ruthless one at that. That they were moving supplies out of the building. That they were only able to move at night and weren't able to use their 'full strength.' The thing that seemed to stand out the most, however, was the mention of 'the boy.'

All three soldiers had a similar thought, _could it be Edward?_

Not much happened the rest of the night as the suited men kept to their word and stayed quiet. They often walked out of the warehouse carrying crates, but it was too dangerous to follow. They would return empty-handed, a few minutes later and a new group would leave.

The team had no idea where the crates were coming from. They had investigated the warehouse thoroughly after Edward's disappearance and the building remained under lockdown for several weeks after. There must have been something they missed.

Before they knew it the sun began to rise, and the men began filing out of the warehouse single file. They headed the same direction that they had gone with the crates throughout the night.

Now the team was faced with a difficult decision. Which was whether or not they should follow them. The pursuit would be dangerous especially on foot, but if they let them go they might not be able to find them again and their only lead would be gone. Mustang decided to talk it over with his ground team.

"Listen up," he announced, "I'm sure your all aware of the choice we're faced with right now.''

They nodded.

"I want to make sure that you understand that pursuing this enemy would be extremely dangerous or even deadly. As it stands we have very little information on these men and their capabilities. If were are going after them I need to make sure we're all on the same page."

Without hesitation, both men responded, "We'll do it!"

Mustang smirked, "I thought you'd say that."

"We're doing this for Ed and Al," Havoc said, "We promised we'd do whatever it takes to find him and I don't intend on breaking that promise."

"Good. I'll radio the rest of the team," Mustang announced, "Prepare for pursuit!"

 **I'm sorry for not updating in so long. I haven't been as motivated to write for the last few months and have been getting used to high school. However, I'm back and plan on making much more frequent updates from now on. I hope you enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 5 - The Pursuit

**~Alphonse & Fuery~**

It had been a long night for the younger Elric brother. He and Fury hadn't heard too much from the ground team, as their situation required them to stay completely silent. However, Hawkeye and Falman gave consistent updates on the surrounding area and quickly alerted them of any changes.

The sun was beginning to rise when they heard the transmission, "We've decided to pursue on foot. Falman, I want you to continue patrolling the area and alert us if you see anything suspicious."

"Yes, sir!" He replied

"Hawkeye, I need you to follow behind us and watch our six."

"On it," Hawkeye responded.

"This mission is no longer simple information gathering, it is now a high-risk pursuit. Intend to capture, but don't hesitate to use lethal force if necessary." Mustang announced. With that, the radio went silent as team Mustang moved out.

It all happened so fast that Alphonse barely had any time to register it.

"Wait, what does that mean Fuery?" He asked in a slight panic.

"They are pursuing the suspects, which means we have to be ready in case they need back up," Fuery replied who was already up and on his feet.

He quickly began packing up the radio equipment. He put it all into a case and headed for the door. He turned to Al, "Listen, you don't have to do this if you don't want to, you can stay here."

"No way," he responded without hesitation, "I need to do whatever it takes to find my brother."

Fury smiled, "Okay, let's get going, Al."

 **~Mustang, Havoc, Breda~**

The sound of engines starting up alerted the team that it was time. Mustang peered over their cover and noticed the men hopping into trucks. The vehicles were conveniently hidden from their sight until now, being in the shadow of a large nearby building. That must've been where they were taking the crates.

The trucks quickly sped off and he counted six go by. _One for each of them it seems like._ He wanted to get a little distance between them before chasing. The trucks seemed to be in a hurry so it didn't take long for them to get it.

As soon as the trucks were about a block away, Mustang motioned for his team to follow, and the three soldiers set off. While the streets weren't very crowded at this time of day, there were still plenty of people in the area. Many were opening up businesses or on their way to work. Luckily they had chosen to wear dark civilian clothing for the stakeout and wouldn't attract nearly as much attention as they would in their uniforms.

Keeping up with the vehicles on foot was not easy. The trucks were moving very quickly and made several sharp turns. They knew they wouldn't be able to keep up much longer.

"Damn I wish we'd brought a car along," Breda wheezed.

"There was no way we could've known we'd be pursuing them. This was meant to just be an information-gathering mission," Mustang replied.

Suddenly, a car sped up from behind the group and kept pace beside them. The front window rolled down to reveal Fury in the driver's seat and Alphonse sitting next to him.

"Need a lift?" Fury asked.

"Perfect timing, Fury," Mustang smiled, before quickly opening the back door and jumping inside, followed by Breda and Havoc. Fury sped after the trucks just barely catching up to them. These guys obviously had someplace to be. They continued speeding around the city barely keeping up.

"These guys sure are taking a lot of detours," Mustang commented. It was true, their movements were erratic and unpredictable. They took several unnecessary turns and chose less than optimal routes, all at an extremely fast speed. "Could it be that they're onto us, and are trying to get us off their tail?"

"Do you really think they could've known we were there? I mean it didn't seem like they noticed us before and they took off without even looking back" Havoc said.

"It's possible. Why else would they be swerving around town at those speeds? If they were just cautious wouldn't it make more sense to draw as little attention as possible? This all seems very odd" Mustang replied. "If we're discovered, it could compromise this whole mission. We'll be found out either way if we keep chasing them like this. We need to take a different route and try to catch up to them at a further point"

"Not to be negative, sir," Fury started, "But they've been doing pretty good at trying to shake us up until now. If we lose them, I'm not sure we'll be able to find them again."

Mustang smirked, "That's why we've got eyes in the sky."

 **~Hawkeye~**

Lieutenant Riza was perched in a tower not too far from the action. It was the highest point in the area and it gave her a birds-eye view of all of the events unfolding below. She had watched Mustang and the others chase those trucks all around the city with no end in sight.

She was starting to get worried when she heard Mustang on the radio, "Lieutenant, we're going to take a detour so they don't get suspicious and we need you to give us updates on their location."

"Yes, sir." She replied.

Their car quickly broke away from the trucks and took a detour to the left. Both groups were moving to the east taking different routes. The trucks took a right turn and headed in the direction of an old church.

"They're heading towards the old church," Hawkeye spoke.

"Got it," it was Fury's voice this time as he was the one driving. The car took a sharp right and began heading in the direction that the tucks were going.

They went on for another few minutes with Hawkeye guiding the team in the right direction.

She took a moment to scan the area when she spotted a strange-looking figure on one of the rooftops. It was hard to tell from this distance but it looked like he was wearing a dark hood that seemed to cover most of his face. He wore black pants, gloves, and boots as well. He stood completely still on the rooftop, watching the scene play out below. His head followed the speeding vehicles in the streets. Far too late, Hawkeye realized how close they were getting to him.

"Look out! On the rooftop-" Was all she managed to get out before all hell broke loose.

 **~Alphonse~**

When Hawkeye's transmission came through Alphonse was the first to look up at the rooftop in front of them. He saw a dark figure standing there who quickly bent down and put his hands on the edge of the rooftop. The light of a transmutation surrounded his hands and from there it traveled down the side of the building in streaks, heading in several different directions. It spread across the wall and down onto the street creating huge cracks in its wake.

The last thing Alphonse saw was the blue light coming straight towards them before their car was thrown into the air. It flipped through the air and landed upside down several feet away. The shock was enough to keep him frozen in place trying to figure out what had just happened. He had no idea how long he would have stayed like that if it weren't his shoulder that shook him out of it. He looked back to see that the hand belonged to Colonel Mustang.

"Hey, Alphonse!" He shouted, "Snap out of it, we gotta move!" With that, he kicked open the door and rolled out.

Alphonse regained his senses and quickly unbuckled his seat belt. He tried to pry the door open with no luck, it was jammed. He tried punching and elbowing the window to no avail. He simply wasn't strong enough. He had left his alchemy chalk behind in his rush. In a last-ditch effort, he tried to turn his body so his legs would face the window. It was difficult to turn around in the small space, but after a few seconds of struggling, he managed it. He kicked at the window with all of his might, a minuscule crack formed in the glass and Alphonse targeted it. The crack grew and fractures spread across the window. With one final kick, the window shattered.

He wriggled his way out of the broken window gaining a few scratches and cuts along the way. When he finally escaped he saw that the rest of Colonel Mustang's team had already gotten out and were taking cover behind the overturned vehicle, he rushed to join them. All of them had their guns trained toward the figure on the rooftop.

Now that he was outside, Al could see what had thrown their car into the air. A giant spike had risen out of the ground at the end of the transmutation trail right under the spot that their car had been. Seeing as the entire team was focused on the mysterious rooftop man, Al took a second to scan their surroundings. There wasn't too much damage to the area, excluding the alchemic trail that led to their car.

At this point, Alphonse was sure that the men in suits had gotten away already. A feeling of dread washed over him as he realized they might have just lost their only lead on Edward.

The sound of screeching tires snapped him out of his thoughts. The man on the rooftop turned suddenly and before anyone could react he jumped to the roof behind him.

"Follow him! Don't let him get away!" Mustang shouted. With that, they all sprinted after him. Al struggled to keep up with them and for once he wished he had his metal body. He shook his head and quickly banished those thoughts from his mind. His brother had worked so hard to get his body back. He couldn't let those kinds of thoughts cloud his mind. Especially not now.

The man jumped skillfully from rooftop to rooftop without a second's hesitation. This was definitely no amateur. They rounded corner after corner and weaved in and out of alleyways.

Al was beginning to feel the fatigue. His legs slowed and his movements stiffened. ' _Damn it,'_ he thought. He began to fall behind the others and no matter how hard he pushed himself he couldn't will his body to go any faster.

Eventually, he had to stop and take a breath. He was between two buildings in a small alleyway which he thought would be a safe place to rest. He bent over and put his hands on his knees. He tried to catch his breath and steady his breathing. When he finally regained his composure, the rest of the team was gone. He sighed and leaned against one of the buildings. His legs were giving out so he slid to a sitting position.

All Al could think of was how useless he had been. He just tagged along the entire time and hadn't contributed a single thing. If anything he had just held back the others. He struggled to hold back the tears that were forming in his eyes.

 **~Mustang~**

Mustang and his team had been chasing this guy for a while now. They lost Alphonse a while back, but they couldn't afford to let up their chase. Besides Al would be safer back there if a fight broke out. He hated to exclude the young Elric, but he definitely wasn't strong enough for a fight right now.

They reached an open street and the man stood on top of a building on the other side.

Mustang gathered his team to form a plan, "It looks like he's finally stopped. If we charge him from the front he'll probably just run again. We'll have to corner him, I'll sneak behind and ambush him, if he moves-"

Just then, the six trucks from earlier zoomed by. Before the soldiers could react the rooftop man bent down placing his hands on the ledge like earlier. An alchemical reaction raced down the side of the building shattering windows and cracking the walls. It reached the ground and traveled across the street creating cracks and pits. The trucks began to skid uncontrollably, trying to regain stability. All six screeched to a halt to avoid flipping over.

It looked like the confrontation was finally over, when another alchemy trail shot down from the rooftop flipping rear truck. All at once the men in the other five trucks jumped out.

Mustang held up his hand, signaling for his team to stay back. They had no idea what these guys were capable of and were outnumbered as well. It was best to just stay back and observe for now instead of risking anything dangerous.

All five of the men ran to the back of their trucks. They pulled strange-looking metal objects out of their pockets and threw them inside the back. They wore gloves, but something about their hands looked... unnatural.

Before he could think about it anymore, they booked it. They ran down the street and slid into an alleyway about twenty yards out. Mustang considered chasing, however, the man on the rooftop seemed like much more of a threat at the moment. _Wait a minute wher-_

Before he could finish the thought a huge explosion threw him on his back. "What the-" he took a second to regain his bearing before pushing himself to his feet. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yup, just great," Havoc retorted sitting up and rubbing his head.

"What was that?" Fuery asked, out of breath. The wind was clearly knocked out of him.

Mustang quickly helped him up before the smoke cleared.

The street was covered in a mix of metal, glass, and rubber debris with chunks of street strewn about. The wreckage was littered about in mounds that all collected in five distinctive spots.

"Crap," Mustang muttered. "Those bastards blew up their damn trucks."

The only one left in one piece was the one that had been flipped over before, the driver was still struggling to escape. Punching and kicking as the jammed door.

Out of nowhere, the black-clad man lunged forward, clearing the twenty feet from the roof to the ground like it was nothing. He landed on the ground upright with a loud _thud_. He began gradually approaching the remaining truck at a slow and relaxed pace. The soldiers all tensed as they prepared for a possible confrontation.

As he came closer into view more of his features could be made out. He wore a dark shirt with a black hood over it. The hood was pulled over his head casting a shadow across his face. Under the hood, he wore a mask that covered his eyes. The rest of his face was hard to make out, but the tissue looked scarred and mangled. He had black pants, the same shade as his shirt, and a lighter black belt. It was clear now that he was wearing gauntlets with transmutation circles carved onto them, similar to Armstrong's. They were mainly a fabric material with a slab of metal on the back of the hand that held the engraving.

He continued walking until he had reached the driver's side door of the remaining truck. He put his hand on the door and alchemic sparks erupted from his gauntlet. The raced around the edges of the door accompanied by a loud crackling sound. With a final, _POP,_ the door came loose. He lifted it by the handle and flung it to the side. In a quick movement, he reached into the truck and snatched up the man inside. He dragged him out by his shirt collar and threw him to the ground.

He leaned close and said something inaudible. The suited man was visibly distressed, and Mustang swore he saw a hint of fear in his eyes. He didn't say a word though, which seemed to anger the man in black. He gripped the man's shirt collar tighter and began slamming him into the ground repeatedly. Mustang had seen enough.

"Okay we're moving in," he commanded, "Havoc, Breda, I want you two to go around and flank him, Fuery stay here and pin him from the side, I'll confront him head-on," He rubbed his fingers together in anticipation, "We're gonna take this guy down."

They all rushed out of the alley at once. Havoc and Breda took their positions behind the man and pulled out their guns. Fuery came forward raising his gun and training it on him. Mustang rushed to the front, fingers prepared to snap.

"Hey, you!" Mustang growled. The man-in-black froze still holding up the suited-man by the collar. "Why don't you tell us what you're doing here?" Mustang approached the man slowly, his hands still in a snapping position.

The man didn't even bother to look at him. He made a frustrated growl and placed his hand on the ground and alchemic sparks formed around his palm.

"Hey freeze!" Mustang shouted, but before he could act a cloud of dust shot up around him. He snapped his fingers instinctively and a stream of flames exploded from his hand. More flames smoke began to rise, further limiting his vision.

"Damn," He cursed, "I must have hit a tire, Havoc, Breda, Fuery, can you hear me?"

"Here, sir." Havoc said between coughs. "That guy, we lost him"

"Okay, let's get out of this smoke and regroup."

Mustang backed out of the smoke and slowly his regained visibility. The others circled around and met him on the other side.

"That guy," Havoc heaved, "He got away, we couldn't see which way he went."

Mustang sighed, "It's fine. We've got much bigger problems on our hands now."

The dust and smoke began to clear and through it something caught Mustang's eye. He could see the shape of a person in the middle of it, he was laying on the ground, surrounded by debris.

"Over there." he said aloud, "The man in the suit is still there."

He approached the man cautiously, followed closely by his team. When he reached him he wasn't surprised to see the man was knocked out. He reached down and placed two fingers on his neck.

"He's alive." Mustang announced, "But he's out cold, that other guy really messed him up, he needs medical attention quickly. Then we'll take him in for questioning."

"Ah man," Havoc groaned, "This is starting to get really messed up."

 **A/N: So yeah this took a reallyyyy long time. I apologize for the wait and I really don't have any excuses other than, life happens. Well I worked really hard on this one and it's my longest chapter yet so I hope you enjoy!**


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